This Sunday will see AEW and NJPW come together to present their first ever joint pay-per view event, Forbidden Door, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, with a number of top stars from each promotion set to face off against one another.
NJPW’s relationship with AEW has been present since the inception of All Elite Wrestling, with the strength of their bond only increasing during the pandemic era, with stars such as KENTA, Yuji Nagata, and Minoru Suzuki all making appearances across AEW television.
Looking past Forbidden Door, NJPW are currently in the build-up to their annual G1 Climax tournament, and AEW have certainly proven they’re also a proponent for tournaments throughout their year-long schedule, with the most recent example being the men’s and women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.
Speaking with Tokyo Sports, AEW President Tony Khan revealed that he hopes to bring some of AEW’s tournaments onto a global scale, with Japan being top of his list for potential destinations.
“I haven’t held a tournament in another country yet, but I want to try to deliver AEW to the world. Of course, I want to do a tournament in Japan, and if I want to do it, I want to invite a lot of new Japanese wrestlers. Japan is definitely included in the list of countries where I want to do an AEW tournament,”
-Tony Khan
AEW did hold half of its AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament in 2021 in Japan, with Ryo Mizunami emerging as the victor. Khan continued, highlighting the importance of the Japanese market to the pro-wrestling world as whole.
“I think Japan is the most valuable market in Pro Wrestling. There are so many Japanese fans, smart, and passionate. AEW will be able to build a good fan base,”
-Tony Khan
Forbidden Door this Sunday is set to be a historic event for both NJPW and AEW, with mammoth clashes such as Jon Moxley vs Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Orange Cassidy vs Will Ospreay. We look forward to seeing the working relationship between the two promotions continue to grow, with a multitude of potential dream matches now being possible moving forward.
H/T Fightful
